Gargoyles Halloween
by Kali Gargoyle
Summary: A short, scary story I wrote for Halloween 2000. I finally got around to posting it here.


Gargoyles Halloween 

By Kali Gargoyle 

Disclaimer: All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Kali Gargoyle.

This is a random story that I wrote because I had writer's block concerning my other stories, and was feeling festive. This should be able to fit in between Hunter's Moon III and The Journey, given that the Hunter's Moon is the full moon in October.

Happy Halloween! Muwahahahahaha!

***

David Xanatos walked towards the elevator to meet up with Detective Maza. The gargoyles had only been back at the castle a little while, and although Xanatos had tried to make amends, tensions were still high between the old foes.

The elevator doors opened to reveal an annoyed and soaking wet Elisa Maza.

"Good evening, detective," Xanatos greeted. "You look as lovely as ever."

Elisa stormed right past him, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her red jacket. "Stuff it, Xanatos."

"I take it that things have not cooled down after the Hunter's attack."

Elisa remained silent as she headed up to see the clan. Before she reached the stairs, however, every light in the castle shut off.

"What the hell?" Elisa took a flashlight out of her pocket. "The storm must've knocked out the power."

"Impossible!" she heard Xanatos respond. "The Eyrie has it's own generators! And the backups should have kicked on by now."

As if responding to his command, the lights flickered on, but only at half power. There was a high pitched laughter that seemed to come from all around them.

"What was that?" Elisa turned, her eyes and flashlight searching for the owner of the laughter.

"Puck?" Xanatos called out, guessing that the white-haired fey was teaching Alex a lesson. The only response he got was more laughter.

"No," Elisa said. "It sounds more like a woman."

"Demona?" Xanatos asked quietly. The voice giggled. "Not Demona," he concluded.

"Come on," Elisa said. "The clan'll be up soon."

"I'm going to check on Fox and Alex," Xanatos said, moving away from her.

Elisa checked her watch and sprinted up the stairway. The roar of the gargoyles awakening was lost in the thunder and rain.

"Great." Brooklyn covered his head with his wings. "That's the last time I listen to _that_ weatherman."

Goliath turned and stepped off his perch. "Elisa, what's wrong?"

Elisa swallowed and forced her heart to slow down. "Nothing. There's just a power outage in the building."

Angela looked over the edge. "If there's no power, why are all the lights on?"

They looked over the edge and saw that several of the building's windows were lit up at full power. Elisa scratched the side of her head. "Maybe it's just the castle."

Goliath shielded his eyes from the downpour and draped his wing over Elisa to keep her dry. "Let's go inside. There's no use trying to glide in this weather. I'm not sure it's even safe to patrol, not after recent events."

Once inside, Elisa started to wring out her hair and clothes. "Sorry your Halloween got canceled, guys. I know how much you were looking forward to it."

Angela frowned. "I was looking forward to it as well. The way you all described it, it sounded like a lot of fun."

"You know," Lex said. "With the lights dimmed like this, it's a pretty spooky setting."

"Yeah," Brooklyn agreed. "We can have our own Halloween. Tell ghost stories and stuff."

Suddenly, that giggly laughter started up again. It sent shivers down everyone's spine.

"What - who was that?" Hudson asked, drawing his sword. Bronx growled at the shadows.

"We heard that earlier," Elisa explained. "Just after the lights went out."

"There's nothing on sensors," Xanatos said as he, Fox, and Owen approached the group. "And it's not Puck," he added, gesturing towards Owen.

"So…there's someone else in the castle," Broadway said. "And we have no idea who they are."

"Or _what_ they are," Brooklyn added. Everyone stared at him. He just shrugged.

"Maybe we should spilt up and search," Angela suggested.

"Good idea," Goliath said. Soft laughter could be heard. "Elisa, Lexington, and Hudson with me, we'll check the South and East wings. The rest of you check the North and West wings."

"What about us?" Fox asked.

"You can go check your sensors."

"Ordering _us_ around now, Goliath?" Xanatos asked with a smirk.

Goliath just growled and turned his back to him.

***

Brooklyn walked beside Bronx as the gargoyle beast used his nose to search for the intruder. Behind him, Angela was clamped onto Broadway's arm, which annoyed Brooklyn to no end. He mentally decided to take his frustrations out on the owner of that damn laughter.

The cackling grew louder and the quartet stopped.

"Who are you?" Brooklyn called out. Laughter was the only response he got. Bronx barked and galloped into the dark.

"Bronx wait!" Brooklyn called after him. They heard Bronx growl, then there was a thud, then whimpering.

Angela screamed.

The three ran forward, only to hit a dead end.

"Where did he go?" Broadway asked. "There's no where he could have gone."

Brooklyn looked around. "I don't remember any passages in this area, but Xanatos may have done some redecorating. Search along the walls.

After twenty minutes of searching, they still hadn't found their guard dog.

***

Goliath held on tight to Elisa's hand. Earlier, Hudson had suggested splitting up again. He took Lexington to search the South wing.

While looking back at Elisa's worried face, he collided with a wall. He fell backwards, pulling Elisa on top of him.

"Ow. Watch where you're going, Big Guy."

Goliath scratched his head. "There should not be a wall here."

"Uh, Goliath, I don't think there should be a wall behind us, either." Elisa shone her flashlight along the walls, but could not see a single entryway.

They both recoiled as a blood-curdling scream ran through the castle halls.

"Angela!" Goliath roared. He put all his strength behind his leap as he attempted to tear down the wall before them. Elisa dropped her flashlight in surprise as she watched him pass straight through the wall. She ran forward but the wall had become solid.

"Goliath!" Elisa pounded on the wall, then ran her hands over the stones, looking for an exit. All the while, the laughter continued.

***

On the other side of the wall, Goliath landed most ungracefully. He waited a moment for Elisa, until he realized that she was not coming. He looked around and was surprised to find that he wasn't even in the same part of the castle.

"Goliath!"

The gargoyle leader turned to see Hudson approaching him.

"Hudson, I was just with Elisa. The wall…how did I get here…Lexington?"

Hudson helped him up. "I don't know what happened to ye, lad. Lexington went to see if he could help with th' security systems."

"I heard Angela scream," Goliath said.

"Aye, I heard it, too."

The laughter started again, this time the lights flickered in sync with the sound. Goliath roared, his eyes going white. "Show yourself! Who are you?"

The giggling now seemed closer, with no echoes. The two warriors looked up at a window high above their heads. Sitting in the window was a shadowy figure, backed by a waning moon. They couldn't make out any features, but it was obviously the source of their torment.

"Who are you?" Goliath demanded again.

The figure just chuckled and leapt out the window.

Goliath sunk his talons into the stonework. "Hurry, we may be able to catch it."

They were interrupted by another scream.

"I think that was Fox," Hudson said.

"What could make her scream like that?" Goliath mumbled. He leapt from the wall down to all fours and ran down the hall. Hudson caught up to him when he took a wrong turn.

They found Fox pounding on the nursery door.

"Fox, what happened?"

"Oh, Goliath! We were in the security room and we heard that laughter again. Something grabbed David and ran from the room. I chased them to here and the door shut behind them and now it's locked." She continued her assault on the nursery door.

Goliath pushed her aside and tried the door. When it refused to open, he stepped back and slammed his shoulder into the door. It still refused to budge. He tried again, but it was no help.

"Stand back," he heard Fox say. She had taken a laser gun from a wall panel and it was presently aimed at the nursery door. She pulled the trigger and the doors flew inward, barely staying on their hinges.

Fox instinctively ran to the cradle. It was empty.

***

Lexington tried to keep an eye on the few monitors that were working while trying to reconnect the ones that weren't. Owen was at a different station, trying the same thing. Suddenly, he pitched forward.

"Alex," he groaned. Lex pushed his wheeled chair over to him.

"Owen, what's wrong? What about Alex?"

In a flash of light, Owen Burnett became Puck. "Alex is in trouble!" He disappeared, leaving Lexington with a confused expression on his face. He returned to the system, redoubling his efforts.

***

Broadway stumbled into the kitchen as he searched. About ten minutes ago, he'd been walking with Angela and Brooklyn when they disappeared around a corner. He couldn't find them anywhere, and no matter how loud he yelled, they never answered.

In the dim light, the castle seemed so different. Maybe Xanatos _had_ redecorated while they were away.

"Might as well get something to eat while I'm here." He opened the nearest cupboard, but it was empty.

"Huh? They're never empty." He tried pantry after pantry, but no food could be found.

"What's going on here?"

The laughter filled the air and all the cabinets flew open. Broadway became terrified as the kitchen appliances came to life. Behind him, the freezer door opened and out stepped a dark figure.

As he turned to face it, the figure threw something at him and he could see nothing but black.

***

Brooklyn would feel better about Angela clinging to his arm if they were in a different situation. They'd lost Broadway about twenty minutes ago and seemed to be walking in circles. The lights were also getting darker.

"Brooklyn, let's go find Goliath," Angela pleaded.

"Shh, I thought I heard something." He took a step forward and stopped. Angela was still attached to his arm and she was _not _moving.

"Angela, listen to me. I'm going ahead, and I need you to stay here."

"No, no, you can't leave me!" She was close to hysterics. "We lost Bronx, and Broadway!"

"I know, I know." He looked over at the mirror on the wall of the room they were in. It should have reflected them but it didn't. It showed the room as if the two gargoyles were not there.

Brooklyn approached the mirror and touched the glass. "Okay, now it's getting weird." He turned to look back at Angela.

"Brooklyn, look out!"

He turned back to see a black form inside the mirror. It reached out, wrapped its arms around his neck and pulled him inside.

"Brooklyn!" Angela ran to the mirror and ran her hands over it. She slammed her fists against the surface. "No!"

She continued until the mirror shattered and laughter filled the room. Angela's hands were cut and bleeding. She looked around the room. Her heart was fluttering like a humming bird, and tears were leaving trails down her cheeks. 

"Stop it! Stop it!" she screamed at the laughter. A chair flew across the room and crashed into the wall beside her. She screamed hysterically and fled from the room as fast as her limbs could carry her.

***

Hudson was on his knees, trying to console Fox, who had collapsed after throwing the cradle across the room.

Goliath searched the room for clues. "Where could they have gone?"

"Where indeed?" Puck came floating into the room.

"Puck! What's going on?" Goliath demanded.

"I wish I knew," the trickster shrugged. "I can't sense another magical presence in the castle, and the security system isn't picking up anything either. Well, the parts that are working. Our sadistic friend has really done their homework."

Hudson helped Fox up. "We should regroup in the security room," Fox suggested.

"That's a good idea. Wandering around the castle isn't getting us anywhere," Goliath said. His ears twitched when they heard someone heading for the nursery. Fast. He pushed Fox behind him and Hudson took his place by the door.

The newcomer slid to a stop in front of Goliath and Hudson barely had time to stop his sword from coming down.

"Angela! Where are the others? What on Earth happened to your hands?"

"Oh, Father!" She threw herself into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. "The others. Bronx. Broadway. Brooklyn. It took them, it took them all!"

Goliath put his arms around his daughter in an effort to comfort her. There was a flash of lightning, and the thunder made everyone jump.

"We'd better get to the security room."

***

"Got it."

Lex poked his head out from under the computer. He started up the system and smiled at the flashing LED's. The monitors turned off, then on again.

The one for the nursery was the only one that showed any life. He saw everyone in the room, but took note that many people were missing, including little Alex.

"Hey, everyone," he said into the intercom.

"Lexington?" Goliath's voice replied.

"Yeah. I've got the security cameras back on-line. The system can't find any intruder."

"Stay there, we're heading for the security room."

"Why take the long way?" he heard Puck say. Lex looked up at the monitor in time to see the group disappear. He became nervous when they didn't reappear. In the security room, or anywhere else.

The laughter made his skin crawl. Lex felt something around his waist and grabbed for the control panel. His talons sank into the metal and the thing tightened its grip. He screamed as it pulled him, his talons tearing up the controls.

A second later the remaining survivors appeared in the room.

"Oh, my God!" Fox exclaimed. They all stared at the ruined control board.

"Not Lex, too!" Angela sobbed.

Puck hovered over the sparking electronics and exposed wire. "He didn't leave willingly, that's for sure. I wonder if he got the system up?"

Fox tried a few switches and only got shocked for her efforts. "If he did, it's totally ruined now."

Puck cracked his knuckles. "Maybe I can work something out." He wiggles his fingers, but before he could say a word, the laughter rolled in again.

Puck narrowed his eyes. "Come out, monster. I'll make you pay for what you put us through."

The laughter only got louder and more hysterical. A single monitor flicked on. In the center of the picture stood the figure. They could clearly see that it was humanoid, completely black, with no indication of any other color. As they suspected, it had a feminine figure, but it was anything but childlike.

The chuckling became deeper and maniacal. It reached towards the camera and the arm passed through the monitor. It grabbed Puck by the front of his tunic and pulled him back through. The others watched in horror as the monitor went black just as Puck reached the figure.

The four looked at each other for ideas.

Goliath balled up his fist. "She's picking us off, one by one. Let's go."

"Where?" Angela asked.

"To the Main Hall, that's where she was in the monitor."

They all stayed close as they made their way through the darkened halls of Castle Wyvern. They managed to make it halfway without incident.

The group barely had time to react when Fox was pulled down into the floor. Hudson tried to pull her out. He almost had her when he lost his grip. He hit the wall and fell through into nothing. Fox screamed as she sank below the stones.

"Run!" Goliath yelled, dropping down to all fours. He kept running until he realized that he could not hear his daughter behind him. He stopped and called out.

"Angela!" The laughter began again as one of Angela's bracelets rolled past his foot.

Goliath started to run again, he ran until he reached the center of the Main Hall. His blood pounded in his ears. "Face me! You've taken my clan, I'm the only one left. Come and get me!"

The laughter started up again, louder than ever. It echoed through the entire castle.

What little light remained quickly disappeared. He felt a hand on his chest and was shoved backwards.

***

The last thing Goliath remembered was his head hitting the floor. He closed his eyes tight, not wanting to see what had befallen him.

"Father, please wake up."

Goliath slowly opened his eyes and let his daughter's face come into focus. "Angela? What?"

"It's all right. We're all here, Father, all alive."

Angela and Brooklyn helped him sit up and he looked around. They were in Xanatos' office. Everyone was there. The Xanatos' were around the playpen with Owen. Elisa and the gargoyles were all surrounding Goliath.

"What happened?" he asked.

The laughter came again, this time from across the room, from Xanatos' desk, or rather, behind it.

The chair spun around, revealing their tormentor.

"Who are you?" Goliath demanded.

"Well. Now that my fun is over…" She raised her arms and pulled back her hood, revealing a pale white face crowned by strawberry-blonde locks. "I'm the author."

"Author?" Xanatos asked, confused.

"Yeah, author. My name's Kali Gargoyle. You see, I had Writer's Block, and Halloween _is_ coming up, and it _is my_ holiday…"

Brooklyn growled. "You put us through Hell because you had Writer's Block!"

"Calm down, sweetheart." She stood and smiled. The dark lipstick and eye makeup only made her look eerier. "It wasn't only the Block. I got inspired by the holiday spirit."

Fox gaped, "What kind of twisted freak are you?"

Kali smirked, "Like you're so normal."

Goliath approached the desk. "You little witch!"

Kali saluted with her first two fingers, the rest curled into her palm. She blew Brooklyn a kiss before fading away.

They all surrounded the desk in awe.

"Is it over?" Lex asked.

"I believe so," Owen replied.

"You know what scares me the most," Brooklyn said.

"What?" Xanatos asked, wondering what could be worse than what they'd just been through.

"The fact that she's still out there."

The entire group shuddered.

***

Ha ha! Wasn't that fun? Of course it was. Never disagree with someone who can turn you into an amphibian.


End file.
